The Greatest Valentine
by Twilight Writing Contest
Summary: Entry 10: By Pens or Buttons. "Angela explains her rough life lately and how she never really looks forward to Valentine's Day only to realize what the day is really all about."


_Angela is the shy girl who is direct only around her family._

Valentine's Day has never really been something for me to look forward too. It's always the awkward day in the year. Everyone expects something magical and romantic to happen but it never does. There are no cupids to make people realize how much they care for someone. That's all make-believe. To make Valentine's Day special there has to be so much effort and focus put into it. I have a job so I can help my family pay their bills as well as my own. Even though I have someone special for Valentine's Day it's just another day on the calendar.

When Ben and I were both in college things started to get really intimate between us. It had come to a point where I was spending more time with Ben than with my studies. If my grades slipping weren't enough my brother Isaac was diagnosed with a mild form of Leukemia. Since he has a twin who was a match for a bone marrow transplant both of my brothers are safe and sound. They're on the basketball team for Forks High. The operation on my brothers wasn't cheap. Even though people from my church donated a lot of money to help pay for it my parents still had to take a large loan out of the bank. There would be even more costs for physical therapy for Isaac.

The loan also included enough money for me to finish off my semester at Washington University. There was no real way for me to stay in college anymore. I couldn't afford tuition anymore. I became severely depressed to the point that it was hard to get up and go to class. Ben was stressed from him own classes and overwhelmed with worrying about me. So we ended the relationship hoping to both overcome our struggles and eventually start to mend.

That was a few years ago. Now I work as a waitress at the Lodge in Forks. That keeps me busy most of the time and I managed to get a house from a friend of mine from high school. Bella Swan had married a very mysterious but prominent member of the community. Edward Cullen and his family had a lot of money so it was no surprise that they had a pretty little cabin in the woods. It was the newly married Bella Cullen who offered me the house. I had found out something about her and the rest of the Cullen family. My reaction must have impressed her because I'm not sure she would have given me the house any other way.

Who and what the Cullen's are isn't important. I know that I'm safer with them around Forks than if they were not. In the following months I found up more things about the Native Americans on the reservation in La Push. I had been camping in the forest around my house. I don't go camping in the forest anymore. Not long after I met someone. His name is Derek and I became enamored by him.

I hadn't been dealing seriously with my depression. Most of the time, I ignored it by drinking serious amounts of alcohol and calling in sick to work. After meeting Derek it was like he became my new kind of drug. It worked well until the one night I lost my virginity with him. The next day I kept expecting a phone call from him and none came until there was a knock on my door. Derek told me that he'd been with another woman and that it had been a terrible mistake.

I couldn't take it in. I was in shock. I couldn't forgive him for being with me one night and then with someone else. I sent him away. My depression got worse. I started to drink any time I had the chance. I didn't eat. If I did I would end up throwing it up from the stress. Eventually Derek found me in the state I was in and took me to the hospital against my wishes. I had been at the point of insanity. He stayed with me the entire time. I decided to let him into my life again only to be hurt by him once more.

Going back to church after my depression seemed the only way I could heal. I did get better. I started to go to therapy and got some medication to help with my depression. Church and the people there were so good for me at that time. I felt safe. Then I realized I had missed my period. The only person I had ever been with was Derek. I had to make absolutely sure.

I was definitely pregnant.

Going to tell Derek had been another trial because he had actually been in bed with another girl. I had opened the door and seen them. Eventually he came out and I told him. Derek decided to go away, to leave me alone. Depression started to kick in again and there was a time when I thought I had lost the baby. Derek came back though. He really cared about our child.

The stress over the next few months was barely manageable. Somehow I got through it. Then one day I was sitting on my porch when Ben came up my drive to talk to me. I was upset about my situation and snapped at him constantly. Yet he didn't leave or condemn me. It was a very emotional time in my life.

Then Trenton was born. Derek was in the room with me but I knew Ben was right outside. I was the Lutheran Preacher's Daughter who had given life to a son with a man who had refused to marry me.

Avoiding Derek was the only thing I could try to do after Trent was born. Every second I spent thinking about Derek only made me cry. I did not want to cry in front of my son. I wanted him to be strong and fearless.

I was working at the Lodge one day when Derek had a few days to take care of Trent. Ben came in and I just felt my whole world being anchored to a million helium balloons. Being near Ben made me happier than I had felt in years. I recognized later that feeling could be affected by my constant need for comfort. Yet my recognition would help me to know my limits. I couldn't let the opportunity to pass up.

So I asked Ben if we could be a couple again. Yet there still wasn't a happy ever after even though he agreed. I had been struggling with taking Trent from Derek. Trent was old enough to be calling for Mommy when he was with Daddy. I wanted to know that Mommies and Daddies are supposed to be together. I broke down in front of my son and Ben was the person who kept me together. I realized that as long as Ben was there to support me I could spend time with Derek and my son.

It was so freeing to be able to do that with Ben. However I still couldn't forgive Derek for what he had done to me. I wanted him to be able to experience what freedom I had. I know Derek is a good person. He's there for our son. So that's what I've been focusing on now.

Ben coming back into my life didn't happen on Valentine's Day. There were no roses or flowers or stuffed bears. So I wasn't expecting anything special on Valentine's Day. It was _always_ just another day on the Calendar.

Every morning I wake up and eat breakfast in my pajamas. If I get dressed before I eat I'll start doing something else and forget to eat. That doesn't make my body very happy. Either way I typically get a call in the middle of my breakfast from Ben. Someday I hope things will work out so we can get married and have a family. I'm in no rush though since I already have a son from a different man. However this morning I got no phone call but instead there was a knock at the door.

I secured my robe around myself and went to answer it. There was a man standing there with an arrangement of flowers. "Happy Valentine's Day!" he said. "A special order from Ben Cheney. Be sure to read the card Ma'am." The man cradled the bouquet into my arms and handed me a box. "That's the vase to put them in. Don't want 'em to break!" He ten jostled down the little incline to his truck.

Managing to call out a thank you, I stood there stunned. If anyone had seemed like a cupid in my life it would have been that man. It started to get cold as the gusts from outside whipped around my legs. I shuddered and went inside to set up the flowers on my kitchen table. I opened the card.

_I know you aren't a big Valentine's Day fanatic._

_So, tonight we'll spend a nice quiet night at home._

_Ben_

I looked from the card to the elaborate bouquet in its spun glass vase and wondered if he was planning something. After many Valentine's Days with my hopes up only to get crushed I decided to take his word for it. A nice quiet night at home sounded like a good Valentine's Day gift to me.

Later that day I went to work a mere two hour shift at the Lodge. There were ribbons and balloons along with red white and pink center pieces on every table. I shuddered, half because people coming in and out cause a chilly draft from outside, and half because all the decoration were a waste of time and money. Someone would have to clean up the mess by tomorrow. Other than that one moment of observation I was so busy taking orders and refilling drinks and getting people orders to them that I forgot what day it was.

There was a mandate for calling out "Happy Valentine's Day," every time someone came in the door. Orders and faces were spinning in my mind too much to even remember to do so. Then the man who delivered my flowers this morning came into the Lodge and ordered a cup of coffee. I had to go back in the kitchen to get the packages of ground coffee for the next batch since I had given him the last one.

When I came back to the front there were dozens of assortments all over the counter. During the rush to get home most people didn't sit at the front counter because they called ahead or wanted to sit in the more comfortable seats. Still it wasn't proper for a person to cover the place where a person could eat. I looked at them all stunned and wondered who they could be for. "What's all this?" I asked the man from earlier.

"They're more special deliveries of course," he replied.

I couldn't see whatever it was that seemed obvious to him. "Are they supposed to be decorations?" I asked.

The man chuckled. "Of course they're decorations! Just depends on who the person who bought 'em thought needed to be decorated." The man laughed again and took a sip of coffee.

"Who needs to be decorated this much?" I asked him wondering if it they were for other workers in the back.

The man had finished his coffee and got off of the stool. "Apparently you do," he said and tipped his hat to me and turned away. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

One of my coworkers had come out front to see why there weren't so many orders coming back. "What on earth is all this?" I was frantically checking the tags to see who they were all from. Derek. Derek. Derek. Oh no…

"Um…." I didn't know what to say. They were from Derek to me. I thought for a moment why he would get me seven arrangements of flower. "My ex sent me a bunch of flowers," I explained running over the number seven in my mind. "It's almost time for me to leave. I'll just go and get them out of the way."

There was a daycare nearby where I took Trent whenever it was my turn to keep him and I had to work. It was when I was putting the flowers in the back next to his car seat that I remembered that Trent was seven months old. I sighed relieved. Half of me relived of understanding why seven, and half relieved that they weren't exactly meant for me. I picked up my adorable son from daycare and went home.

Coming up the driveway I saw Ben's SUV parked to the side. When I opened the door a shower of petals came down on top of me and Trent. "What on earth?"

"Pretty," Trent pointed out and pulled a petal out of my hair and tried to stuff it in his mouth. I was too quick for him and hurriedly closed the door behind me.

I set Trent down on the floor to take off his winter coat when a host of people yelled, "SURPRISE!"

I screamed in astonishment and Trent started to cry. I took off my coat and picked Trent up off of the floor and he stopped crying. I looked at the people who were cramming themselves into my entrance hallway. Some of the people were from high school and church. They were all smiling at me.

"I thought the Superbowl was last week," I managed to say making everyone laugh.

Ben made his way to the front of the crowd and pushed his glasses up on his nose. "Everyone here knows how much you hate Valentine's Day," He explained. "So I went around and gathered up some people who know and care about you. They all agreed to throw a surprise party just so you would have a Valentine's Day to remember."

Still in shock I blurted out, "But it's just a stupid day on the calendar painted pink."

"No arguing Angela. You're going to enjoy this party or we'll try again next year," Derek said having moved up next to Ben.

I looked between the two men as the rest of the crowd stared at us. "You two getting along," I scoffed. "I must be dreaming."

Derek shrugged. "I don't enjoy being next to him but he pointed out that if you're happy then Trent's happy."

I sighed and frowned slightly at him. "Are you happy Trent?" I asked him.

A flower petal was sticking out of his mouth and stuck to his chin with spit. Trent giggled and smiled. Warmness filled me inside like it did every time my son laughed. "Trenton," I told him, "You are the best Valentine ever." Everyone responded with and "aw". "You want to stuff your face with chocolate now?" Trent giggled again and nodded. Everyone around laughed and took that as the cue to disperse.

"You'll always be my Valentine Trent," I said as I kissed his chubby cheeks. Derek took a step towards me and I handed Trent over to him. "Ben," I called. "I need some help bringing in a few bouquets for Trent." I looked over at Derek.

"What?" Derek said as he bounced Trent around. Confused I explained the old cheery delivery man coming to the Lodge. "I didn't send anyone flowers," Derek explained and shrugged. "Must have been a mistake."

I looked over at Ben. "You sent me flowers right?"

He nodded. "Yeah it was to try and throw you off the surprise party," Ben explained.

I stood there for several moments trying to piece it together. Nothing fit in my head. "Well… I guess they're ours now," I figured. Ben and I went outside to bring the flowers in. Ben managed to care most of the bundles so I would have a free hand to open the door for him.

When I walked up the steps I saw a folded piece of paper in one of the plastic stick that would go in a bouquet. "What's this?" I wondered and picked it up.

_Today is about the people you carry in your heart_

_and treasure every day of the year._

_St. Val_

"St. Val?" I questioned. "Is this some sort of prank?" I showed the card to Ben.

"It's not any kind of prank I've heard of," Ben replied examining the card. "It seems genuine instead of mischievous."

"But who on earth is St. Val?" I asked.

Ben shrugged his shoulders. "The cheery old man?" he suggested. I shook my head. None of it made any sense. I knew things that didn't make sense weren't worth the time to worry about it.

So, I squared my shoulders. "Let's get this party started then," I said and then turned to Ben. "But they all have to be gone by ten or Trent will become cranky."

Ben smiled and laughed. "I'll make sure they're gone before Trent's bedtime," he said.

"Then we could spend some time together?" I asked. "To talk and be alone?"

"Of course," Ben said. "That is what I promised." I nudged him playfully as he grinned and kissed me. It started to snow and we went inside to join the others.


End file.
